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Instead of James Anderson, they ended up with Gus Atkinson. The first Test of the summer season at Lord’s was supposed to be a goodbye for England’s best seam bowler ever, but instead the West Indies batsmen turned the tables on a debutant, falling from 88 for 3 to 121 all out, with Atkinson taking an impressive 7 for 45.
On the first morning, Atkinson claimed two wickets in his opening 14 deliveries, but it was his second stint that completely unravelled the West Indies. After devastating the middle order of the West Indies with three wickets in four balls in his ninth over, he took two in his eleventh over. On Test debut, his stats were the second-best of any England bowler.
Playing in his 188th and final Test match, Anderson bowled nine overs without picking up a wicket before lunch. He was then sent back to grab the last wicket of the innings, trapping Jayden Seales leg before wicket to a raucous cheer from the Lord’s crowd. But following an incredible opening day for England in a Test match, it was the fast bowler from Surrey, Atkinson, who guided his team off the pitch.
Along with Jamie Smith, another player from his county squad, Atkinson was one of two players given their caps on the first morning. Atkinson made his debut for the White-Ball Internationals last year. He struck with the second delivery of his opening over, trying a leaden-footed slap through the off side, but Kraigg Brathwaite sliced onto his own stumps.
During his third over, he struck once more, angling a full ball across left-hander Kirk McKenzie, whose thick outside edge flew quickly to second slip Zak Crawley. Atkinson bowled at a good pace, frequently reaching speeds of 90 mph or 145 kph. He finished his opening five-over performance with figures of 2 for 2, four maidens, and one boundary.
The Dominican bats, Alick Athanaze and Kavem Hodge, put up 44 runs together during the midday break. However, a dramatic collapse began when Athanaze drove a low catch to Joe Root at first slip. Jason Holder, playing in his first Test match in a year, was squared up first-ball and caught in the slips, and then Smith was dismissed for the first time in a Test match thanks to Joshua Da Silva’s inside edge.
Standing at the non-striker’s end, Hodge saw three wickets fall in four balls and decided it was his responsibility to lead the West Indies to a respectable score. He took a cut when Chris Woakes offered him some width. As the ball soared straight off of his bat, Ollie Pope made a breathtaking diving catch in tight at point.
After Alzarri Joseph struck four boundaries in five balls, Atkinson’s statistics were temporarily affected. However, he quickly chipped one up in the air to mid-on, giving Atkinson a sixth, and two balls later, Shamar Joseph was hilariously caught by Pope. Seales was hit squarely in the face by Anderson’s inswinger to end the inning.